1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a heater structure designed to heat water issuing from a typical water supply in a manner to reduce the amount of energy normally consumed in heating water through the use of conventional domestic water tanks or the like. The structure is attachable diectly to the aater outlet rather than encompassing heat storage type capacity as in conventional systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that large amounts of elctricity are utilized in the home for the heating of water. In fact, it has been estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of the average electric bill of a residence may be attributed to the use of electricity for heating water. Also, it is well recognized that a majority of such heated water is used for showering, body washing, and the like.
With the current recognized shortage of fossil fuels, attempts have been made through a variety of system designs as well as smaller component type structures to reduce the use of energy thereby reducing the dependence on fossil type fuels. There has been an emphasis on solar radiation collectors throughout the industry wherein the solar collectors are used to heat water from the sun's energy and store this water for later use. While the majority of currently available and prior art type systems are operable, they do suffer from certain inherent problems. Such problems include generally high cost of installation as well as low efficiency operating characteristics. Therefore, solar systems are generally limited in their use and application.
Accordingly, there is a need for devices which have a low cost of initial purchase as well as installation and which are capable to reduce the amount of energy needed to provide hot water through a desired and selective temperature range for a variety of uses such as body washing in the average residence. The installation of such a device saves a considerable amount of the average electrical energy bill if such a device was even limited to the use of heating water for showers and the like.